On October 15 and 16, D23 members are invited to partake in the 2010 ‘Sip & Stroll’ event at Walt Disney World. In addition, a limited number of tickets will be available for a private retirement celebration dinner in honor of Walt Disney Studios Archivist Dave Smith which will be held at the VIP Lounge at the Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion at Epcot.

Tickets for the just event are $85 while tickets for both the event and dinner are $185 each. D23 members in good standing may purchase a ticket for themselves and one additional guest.

The most successful animated film of all time, Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3, will not be recognized this year by one of the most highly prized awards in the animation industry — at least if Disney can help it.

The Walt Disney Company is withdrawing sponsorship and consideration from the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood and its 38th annual Annie Awards which is scheduled to take place on February 5, 2011 at UCLA Royce Hall in Los Angeles, CA. This represents the first time in the award’s near-forty year history that Disney will not be sponsoring the event in some capacity.

As part of its overall initiative to find and develop actors from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds or with disabilities, the Disney/ABC Television Group Casting Project will hold its next New York Actors Showcase on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23. Ten promising actors will have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills to an audience of industry and network professionals during 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. performances at the Kirk Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues.

Radio Disney, which Billboard magazine ranked twice among the Top 25 on its Maximum Exposure list of ways to get music noticed, will kick off its third season of “N.B.T.” (Next Big Thing), beginning WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. “N.B.T.,” a daily multiplatform feature that launched the career of Hollywood Records recording artists Allstar Weekend, puts the spotlight on young recording artists and provides them with national broadcast and online exposure. Over the course of 10 weeks, Radio Disney and Disney Channel audiences will be invited to look, listen and vote for their favorite artist at RadioDisney.com or by texting* “NBT” to DISNEY (347639) — message & data rates may apply, kids under 18 must get parent’s permission first. The highest ranked “N.B.T.” artist will have the opportunity to have their single released by Disney Music Group and open for Allstar Weekend at a special holiday performance.

In the following featurette, Nikki Blonksy, the star of the ABC Family hit ‘Huge’ takes us behind the scenes with co-star Ari Stidham and Emmy® Award Winning Music Producer W.G. Snuffy Walden as they record Ghost to You, a song Will (Blonksy) pens in the season’s finale.

Video removed due to agreement with ABC Family

In the final episode of the season, titled ‘Parents Weekend — Part Two,’ while Dr. Rand and the campers continue to face the challenges of connecting with the parents, hearts break as a shocking and unexpected romance develops. The season finale will air Monday, August 30th on ABC Family at 9 pm ET/PT.

Hike up your pants and prepare to go back to school in style with this fabulous new Kooky pen collection stuffed inside your pocket protector.

Disney Theme Park Merchandising has announced the Kooky Kollection #14 Nerd set featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy in a way few have ever seen them. The collection is limited to 7,500 sets and will retail for $18.95. It will be available at some point in September at select retail locations at both the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts as well as online at DisneyStore.com.

The video below highlights many of the transition levels in the upcoming Epic Mickey for Nintendo Wii from Disney Interactive Studios and Junction Point Studios. Previously released footage included levels from Walt Disney animated classic shorts such as Steamboat Willie and Plutopia. Here, we get a good look at other levels such as Alpine Climbers and Clock Cleaners. In addition, there is some gameplay from Gremlin Village, the area loosely based on Fantasyland, which we told you about earlier.

D23 members and up to 3 guests each are invited to a free screening of the upcoming Walt Disney Studios epic Secretariat on September 13, 2010 , nearly a month before its official October 8 release. The screening will take place at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

The beautiful and emotional film tells the story of housewife and mother Penny Chenery (Diane Lane), who agrees to take over her ailing father’s Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery — with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich) — manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and what may be the greatest racehorse of all time.